Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Bunion surgery and backpacking

I'm roaming around Colorado at the moment hiking in Rocky Mountain Park. One thing is becoming clear - bunion surgery is in my future. Xrays show the interior bones in my foot are crooked. My second toe has a bunch of arthritis and growths restricting movement. I'm getting pain from both pressure from my hiking boots/shoes and the joint aches. I've heard horror stories about bunion surgey.....

Anyone have bunion surgery? Recovery time? What is life like after with respect to hiking/backpacking? If I have surgery in January 2020, will I be ready for 2020 elk season?

Any suggestions, ideas, tips greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I haven't had any pain but as I get older, my feet have widened at the ball. I need wider boots now. Last year, I bought a pair of Keens Targhees. They fit wider at the ball and are much more comfortable for me.

The Altra Lone Pine running shoes have solved most of my foot pain problems. I have never packed more than 25 lbs. but their unique design has worked for me mostly because of the shape of the toe box.


mike r

My bride always had problems and finally had both feet done. Don't recall the get-well time. Made a huge difference for her.

Apparently there is more than one surgical remedy with recovery time and pain level varying considerably--which she said she would have done if she knew.

After 15 years she is having one foot giving her problems again--so do your due diligence.

edit:
B: the swelling on one side has returned, but no pain. If she remember correctly she was off her feet for 3 days and then a boot for a week or two. Originally pre-surgery there was a lot of pain...good surgery for her.

fwiw, tom

That's my understanding as well, similar to "rotator cuff surgery" there's more of a continuum than a set procedure and it's based on how bad the "injury" is.

And knowing how surgeons work, it's probably also based on the technique(s) that a particular surgeon was trained on. I've bean reading about some newer techniques that are supposedly less invasive so it would probably be worthwhile to quiz more than one surgeon on what techniques are available for your condidtion and which technique they would use.

Have some foot issues and the altra lone peaks have worked well and a lot less foot pain

Lone Peaks! duh. It would probably be difficult to find the lone pines


mike r

Dang, I was searching everywhere for those lone pines........

Thanks guys. I understand there exists multiple ways to do the surgery. I talked to one of the best in Knoxville and she said recovery sucks for a few days followed by few months of rehab. I'm concerned with the long term prognosis with carrying weight. She is a long distance runner and understands athletics. I'm not sure Carrying out hind quarter isnt really the time to figure out tou have issues.